Mount Merapi rumble causes evacuation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Mount Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano,
\ncontinued to spew burning ash and lava yesterday, prompting
\nauthorities to begin evacuating residents and close off tourist
\nattractions, officials said.<\/p>\n
Authorities have heightened the alert level for a possible
\nmajor explosion. Residents living close to the 2,968-meter-high
\nvolcano were asked to be ready for evacuation, in case a major
\nexplosion was imminent.<\/p>\n
Tourist attractions in Kaliurang, some six kilometers south of
\nMerapi, have been closed to the public. Kaliurang was among the
\nworst affected areas when the volcano last exploded in 1994.<\/p>\n
Informed sources told The Jakarta Post that among venues
\nclosed were the Cangkringan golf course and Bebeng Kaliadem
\ncamping ground.<\/p>\n
Residents of Turgo and Tritis villages were evacuated
\nWednesday night to Tarakanita school buildings in Pakembinagun.
\nLocal authorities in Sleman have readied emergency tents in
\nanticipation of the worst.<\/p>\n
Authorities in Sleman have also stopped sand quarrying in the
\nBoyong River, which originates in Merapi, since Tuesday in
\nanticipation of lava flood that may hit any time.<\/p>\n
\"All workers have been ordered to leave the river and trucks
\nto evacuate until further notice,\" said an official in charge of
\nnatural disaster in Sleman.<\/p>\n
In early 1996, a major cold lava flood pushed dozens of trucks
\ninto the river, naturally providing sand quarrying companies with
\nabundant high grade sand. No one was injured.<\/p>\n
Mas Atje Purbawinata, chief of a local volcano monitoring
\nagency, said Merapi's level of activity was higher than that
\nrecorded in November 1994 when it erupted, killing 68 and forcing
\nover 5,000 families to flee their homes.<\/p>\n
The agency notified the Central Java and Yogyakarta governors
\nand regents of Magelang, Klaten and Boyolali of the mount's
\nalarming level of volcanic activity.<\/p>\n
The volcano spewed hot \"clouds\" of ashes for five hours and
\nvomited burning lava for as far as five kilometers down the
\nslopes, Atje said.<\/p>\n
Officials monitoring its activity recorded 33 seismic tremors
\nyesterday afternoon and saw burning lava streaming down the
\nmountain's southeast slope.<\/p>\n
\"The potential threat is greater than in 1994,\" Atje said. \"We
\nhave asked our personnel to report on every development.\"<\/p>\n
Adding to the fear of possible eruption is the potential for a
\nmassive landslide, due to heavy rains, of the cold lava that has
\naccumulated on the upper part of the volcano since 1994.<\/p>\n
The mountain, among the world's most active, covered areas in
\nBoyolali with fine volcanic ashes, triggering panic in some
\nsubdistricts.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the Boyolali regency government, Sugiyanto,
\nsaid the authorities managed to calm villagers down. People in
\nthe area said they were ready for evacuation at any moment, he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
A crisis occurred in August last year when the mountain was
\nextraordinarily active and nearby residents were placed on
\nevacuation alert. However, this activity subsided.<\/p>\n
The earliest recorded eruption of the mountain was in 1006,
\nwhen it destroyed the Hindu Mataram kingdom. In 1930, 1,369
\npeople were killed and 26 villages buried. (pan\/har\/23)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mount-merapi-rumble-causes-evacuation-1447893297",
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